This past January I took a three week course where I learned more about proper public speaking than in the entirety of my college career. This is a bold statement for a Communication Studies major. The course focused on creating a presentation that can be both tailored to any audience and appealing to everyone involved. Wouldn’t it be nice if every class you had to sit through or teach were actually enjoyable?
For the first time in three semesters, I am taking courses outside of the communications department, and I am shocked to be stuck in a lecture nightmare! There should never be a class where most of the students are asleep, zoned out, or absent.  I’m not saying teachers need to put on huge visual productions, but there are simple things that can be done to improve the presentation of the message. If most of the classes you teach end with drool on the floor, you may want to rethink your speaking strategies.
If our institution was a level 1 research school, classes would be taught by graduate students coupled with boring mass lectures and an invisible professor who was off publishing another book. However, we are a smaller campus, one that prides itself in the face-to-face interactions between student and professor. That being said, this is not a criticism of our teachers, it is however, a suggestion. In order to better fulfill the desires of our schools mission statement regarding faculty-student relationships, teachers should want to reach their students and constantly  work on bettering their approach to this.
Professional Speaking is a unique class designed to teach students how to create an all-around good presentation. This class is offered so students go into the world prepared to succeed. It wouldn’t hurt for teachers to have the same training. In other words, let us continue to learn ways to better connect in the classroom.